No letting up
NAGOYA, Japan—The Philippines remained in search of its first gold medal at the Asian Games after another podium finish highlighted the country’s campaign on Wednesday, but several promising paths stayed open following a string of advances in gymnastics, basketball, boxing and beach volleyball.
Marie June Adriano added the country’s fifth medal of the Games with a bronze in women’s kumite -50 kilograms, while Carlos Yulo and three Gilas Pilipinas teams moved into positions where more medals—and potentially the breakthrough gold—remained within reach.
Adriano defeated Chinese Taipei’s Chung Ya-chi, 10-3, in the bronze-medal bout to give the Philippines its second karate medal of the competition.
“This is really a big thing for me. As a first-timer, the pressure was really great,” Adriano said.
“I still cannot believe it,” Adriano told a local TV broadcast in Filipino. “They told me to just enjoy it because this is my first time. Just feel the crowd, feel the moment, let go of the negative and feel the positive energy.”
She reached the podium after beating Cambodia’s Srey Phea Chonn, 4-3, and South Korea’s Yang Yewon, 4-0, before narrowly losing to Hong Kong’s Tsang Yee Ting, 5-4, in the semifinals.
The bronze added to the medal won earlier by women’s team kata members Rebecca Cyril Torres, Ysabielle Arrogante and Samantha Emmanuelle Veguillas.
Gymnasts, sixth
The country’s best finish here is still a silver by Jean Claude Saclag in mixed martial arts, but several fronts remain open for a breakthrough title.
At Nagoya General Gymnasium, two-time Olympic champion Carlos Yulo led the Philippine men’s artistic gymnastics team to sixth place among eight countries with 227.359 points.
Yulo scored 14.266 in floor exercise, 14.566 in vault and 14.166 on parallel bars.
China took the team gold with 255.095 points, followed by Japan with 253.826 and Chinese Taipei with 239.896.
Karl Eldrew Yulo, Justin Ace De Leon, Zachary Nuñez and Miguel Besana completed the Philippine lineup.
Carlos and Eldrew Yulo advance to the floor exercise final on Sept. 24, giving the Philippines another direct shot at the podium—and, possibly, a gold.
Basketball also offers multiple routes forward.
The Gilas Pilipinas men’s 3×3 team completed a 3-0 sweep of its group after beating Kazakhstan, 21-15, to secure an outright quarterfinal berth.
Nic Cabañero scored seven points despite playing with a sprained right hand, while Doy Dungo and Luis Pablo helped close out Kazakhstan with an 8-3 run.
The Philippines faces Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals.
The women’s 3×3 team also completed an unbeaten group campaign after defeating Malaysia, 17-12, with Kacey dela Rosa producing eight points and seven rebounds and Maria Pasilang adding six points and seven rebounds.
The Gilas women’s 5-on-5 team is likewise through to the quarterfinals, leaving three Philippine basketball teams still alive in the knockout stage and within reach of the medal rounds.
There was progress elsewhere.
Junmilardo Ogayre advanced in men’s 60kg boxing after surviving a third-round scare to defeat Mongolia’s Gantumur Lundaa by split decision in Nishio City.
Ogayre won the first two rounds on four of five judges’ cards before taking a standing eight-count in the third. His early lead proved enough to send him through to a meeting with Nepal’s Roka Magar.
In women’s beach volleyball, Khy Progella and Sofiah Pagara stayed unbeaten after routing Mongolia’s Khandsuren Gantogtokh and Tsolmon Batjargal, 21-3, 21-3.
The Filipino pair needed only 21 minutes to improve to 2-0 in Pool G ahead of their Sept. 26 match against Hong Kong.
Weightlifter Rosegie Ramos also came close to expanding the Philippine medal haul, finishing outside the podium in the women’s 53kg division.
Ramos totaled 203 kilograms after lifting 93kg in the snatch and 110kg in the clean and jerk.
North Korea’s Kang Hyon Gyong won gold with 223kg, China’s Zhao Jinlan took silver with 218kg and Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao claimed bronze with 214kg.
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